Secret Love; My Escape
Chapter 7: Pre-Dance
"GINNY WOULD YOU PLEASE CONCENTRATE!" Harry bellowed from the ground. Ginny rolled her eyes and swooped to get the quaffle she's just let slip through her fingers.
"We're running out of time to get ready for the dance, Harry!" Ginny called back, tossing the quaffle to me. I sped toward Ron in the goals and grinned at his scared expression. I was satisfied with the DING that rang out as I got the quaffle past him.
"Bloody hell Roe... Why do you have to scare me like that?" Ron whined from where he was hiding behind the posts.
"RON! STOP HIDING FROM THE QUAFFLE! WE'RE UP AGAINST SLYTHERIN ON SUNDAY! DO YOU THINK THEY'LL BE ALL NICE AND SWEET!" Harry jumped up and down and started to pull out his hair.
I laughed and swooped down to him. "Chill out Harry, you're gonna go bald before tonight... somehow I don't think my sister would like a bald partner" I winked. He stopped messing with his hair immediately and I laughed.
Riley was so excited when Harry had asked her. She bounced around the dorm room for hours fussing over what she was wearing, how she was doing her hair, her makeup, even her perfume. This was still with one week to go with the dance.
I could see her sitting in the stands now, chewing her nails and checking her watch every twenty seconds so she could grab Ginny and run. Hermione was beside her, laughing slightly at Ron.
"I think you should call an end to training tonight as well... something tells me Riley's gonna chew her fingers off if you make her wait any longer" I nodded to my impatient sister in the stands.
"Oh... Right" Harry nodded and blew his whistle. "TRAINING'S OVER!" He bellowed in my ear, rendering me temporarily deaf. "Sorry Roe" He grinned sheepishly. I rolled my eyes and got back on my broom.
"Come on Roe, training's over!" I heard Hermione call out from the stands.
"I'm gonna wait till the bombs have exploded in the dorm room" I called back, nodding to Riley and Ginny speeding off toward the castle on Ginny's broom. They would turn the room upside down before they were perfect for the night and that was waaay too stressful for me. She laughed and waved before she climbed down from the stands to wait for Ron and Harry to walk back to the castle with.
I swooped back into the air and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the dance?" Someone asked from below me. I looked down and saw Malfoy swing his leg over his broom and shoot into the air. The wind blew his hair off his face, making him look almost angelic. Almost.
"I will, when my sister and Ginny have gotten ready. They stress way too much before these things and I just can't take it" I sighed.
"but doesn't it take you girls about four hours to get ready?" he asked, flipping upside down and hanging off his broom. He actually looked totally relaxed for once.
"Normal girls... I'm not a normal girl" I smiled up at the sky. It was the first time in weeks that there'd been blue sky and I was making the most of it. Hermione was relieved as the dance was outside tonight.
"Yeah that's true" He agreed. I shot him a look and he smirked.
"What about you then? Doesn't it normally take you forever to get your hair just right for these things?" I teased his vanity.
"Normally... But I figured annoying you would be much more fun" He answered.
"Lucky me" I answered dryly. I shivered slightly and drew my robes around me. The sun had all but disappeared now as it was late afternoon and it was slightly cold.
"So who did you end up going with tonight?" He asked, picking up a rock and tossing it into the lake.
I sighed. "Justin Finch-Fletchley. Riley made me say yes because he was the first one who asked me..." I rolled my eyes.
"That fag? Really?" Malfoy smirked, glancing at me.
"He's not a fag, Malfoy" I sighed. "He's just..."
"A Hufflepuff"
"NO! Well yes he is... but he's..."
"A fag"
I slapped his arm. "Shut up!" I exclaimed.
"Ow.. WOAH!" He gripped his broom tightly as he started to lose his balance and fall backwards. I gasped.
"NO!" I exclaimed, shooting my hand out to steady him.
He chuckled and grinned. "As if I'd fall" He sat up easily and grinned at me.
I narrowed my eyes. "Idiot" I grumbled, mostly annoyed at myself because I'd been worried about him falling 50 feet to his death.
"Oh come on Vanderbilt, that was funny" He chuckled and grinned at me. Once again the wind blew his hair off his face and he actually looked completely relaxed.
"Who are you going with?" I asked him after a few minutes.
"No one" He shook his head. "I was going to ask someone but decided it would have caused more trouble than good... and she would have said no anyway"
"Who?" I frowned slightly, brushing some hair off my face.
"It doesn't matter... I'm probably not even going now anyway" He shrugged. I frowned some more.
"Who were you going to ask" I bit my lip. Something told me he meant me... I mean what else would cause more trouble than good? "Tell me!" I urged. My stomach tightened as I watched him look over me. He opened his mouth to answer but shook his head. I bit my lip.
His silvery eyes narrowed suddenly. "Why do you care?" He snapped.
"Because I..." I trailed off. Why did I care?
Because he means you... a voice in my head whispered.
He glanced at me and raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Do you think I meant you?" Damnit! My expression must have given me away. "Did you seriously think I was going to ask you?" He let out a hollow laugh and narrowed his eyes. I felt a flicker of something like disappointment in my stomach.
"It was only a guess" I mumbled. Had I seriously wanted him to ask me? What is wrong with me!
"Seriously, Vanderbilt? Why would I go with a Gryffindor, mudblood-lover like you?" He sneered. I sucked in a breath between my teeth and glared at him.
How could I have thought he mean me? Seriously. It's Malfoy. The so-called disappointment turned to annoyance instantly. Fucking asshole.
"I was only asking so I could shoot you down... You're a fucking git and I hate you" I said coldly.
"Good. We're on the same page" He looked pointedly at me. "Don't you have some where to be?"
"Yeah. Away from you" I said darkly, swooping down to the ground away from him. I touched the ground and threw myself off my broom. I stomped up to the castle in disgust.
Mostly I was disgusted with myself. I'd actually gotten disappointed when he said it wasn't me? What is WRONG with me lately? Why would I freaking want to go to a dance with Draco Malfoy? It was absurd! It was disgusting! It was... well, confusing to say the least. I mean, he'd been so nice and pleasant lately... I guess that's what I get for listening to someone's problems.
I stomped through the common room and up the girls staircase.
"FINALLY!" Riley exclaimed when I stormed into the dorm room. "What's wrong?" She noticed something was up straight away.
"Malfoy" I spat, throwing my broom down on my bed. "Foul, disgusting little ferret!" I exclaimed, peeling off my Quidditch gear. "I hate him!" I yelled at three very confused friends.
"Well speaking of Malfoy, there was a letter waiting for Harry from the Order when we returned" Hermione spoke up. I frowned and leaned against the bathroom door. "Lucius has been released from Azkaban" She concluded.
"HE'S WHAT!" I exclaimed, jerking forward to read the note. "Blah blah... Lucius... released..." I read quickly. "It doesn't say why" I looked up at her.
"We know. We don't know why" She shrugged.
I sighed and rubbed my face. "I'm going in the shower" I said and stepped into the bathroom. My annoyance with Malfoy fizzled out as I stepped under the steamy jets of the shower. I wondered if he knew his father was out.
I cursed myself and shook my head. Why did I even care if he knew his father was out? It was Draco Malfoy for gods sake!
Because you know more about him now... a voice in the back of my mind told me. I sighed. I did know more about him now. I knew he didn't want to be like his father, I knew he wasn't all bad. Sure he was still an arrogant twat but I didn't exactly think he was an evil one.
I wonder what his new mission is?
"Come on Rosalie! We're gonna be late!" Hermione hammered on the bathroom door, pulling me from my thoughts. I dried myself off and slipped on my dress.
"Chill out, I just need to do my hair and makeup" I sighed and opened the door. Hermione was wearing a totally amazing, Grecian style white dress that clung to her frame perfectly. It made her skin look so tanned it was like she'd spent the last four weeks on a beach instead of in classes. "Wow, you look stunning!" I exclaimed with a grin. "If Ron doesn't fall head over heels for you after tonight, the boy is a lost cause" I grinned as she blushed.
That girl had been in love with that Weasley for way too long.
"Nahh..." she paused and grinned "Do you think?" She laughed and twirled around "Remind me to thank Avery for sending me the dress.
"Yeah she definitely has the best taste in dresses" I agreed and glanced at mine in the reflection.
"Come on, you're supposed to meet Justin in the entrance hall in five minutes" Riley said impatiently, tapping her foot and looking at her watch.
I rolled my eyes. "He'll wait... looking fabulous takes time Dahhhhh-rling" I emphasised with a flourish of hand gestures. "Besides, you just want to see Mr Potter" I smirked as Riley rolled her eyes.
"Shut up and get ready" She twirled her gorgeous pastel-rainbow coloured dress. She had the perfect body for it as well. I was totally jealous. She fastened the silver mask to her face and bounced on the balls of her feel. "You're right, I wanna see how cute Harry looks, so hurry up!" She exclaimed.
"We know, you have a total crush on harry" Ginny rolled her eyes and checked over her blue princess dress in the mirror. "We get it"
Riley stuck her tongue out at Ginny. "Says the one who hasn't shut up about Dean Thomas since he asked you out"
Ginny blushed. "He asked you out?" I exclaimed. "As in boyfriend-girlfriend asked you out?"
"Yeah" She nodded. "Hope you don't mind" She bit her lip. I laughed.
Dean and I had been together once upon a time for a grand total of a month. He was a sweet guy, but tried to keep me out of trouble more than my sisters. It was annoying.
"Hell no dude. He's a nice guy" I smiled. She smiled back.
"You look so gorgeous" She told me. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and smiled. I was pretty hot.
"Ok let's do this" I smiled, pushing all thoughts of Malfoy and his mission out of my head. He was a git and I didn't care what happened to him.
Plea's Note:
Hope this makes up for missing the chapter yesterday.
ENJOY!
